Granulocytopenia refers to a condition that the number of granulocytes in peripheral blood is decreased, and is a concept including agranulocytosis marked by severe decrease or loss in granulocytes and accompanied by a grave condition. Of these, the agranulocytosis has a high mortality due to infectious diseases.
As causes of the granulocytopenia, have been known the attack attending on other various diseases, administration of a drug, and the like. Of these, the granulocytopenia caused by the drug includes drug-induced granulocytopenia. The attack of the drug-induced granulocytopenia cannot be predicted prior to the administration of the drug under the circumstances. Further, no drug for treating the drug-induced granulocytopenia after the attack has been known, and so its treatment only depends on stopping the administration of a causative drug under the circumstances.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a diagnostic agent capable of predicting an attack of drug-induced granulocytopenia.